A Trickster's Love
by jayL1398
Summary: An unexpected visit from Loki sparks confusion and love in Tony's mind. Frostiron.
1. Late Night Visits

Anthony Stark was sitting on a bar stool in his bedroom when the first roar of thunder shook through the house. As to why he dragged a bar stool all the way into his room, even he didn't understand and probably wouldn't for a while judging by the amount of alcohol he had consumed that evening. He took another sip of whatever was at the bottom of his shot glass before falling of the stool and onto his ass.

"Damn thing," he said. Slowly he got on his knees and proceeded to stand up before falling again miserably.

Suddenly the drunken man began to feel a presence in the room. Or maybe he was too far under the influence and his brain was beginning to play tricks on him. Either way, Tony saw the figure of the one and only Loki Laufeyson staring down at him with bright green eyes.

"Need a hand?" He stretched his arm outwards and offered Tony help, which he gladly took advantage of.

"Thank you," Tony mumbled out when he was finally on his two feet. Loki still had to hold him up and guide him towards the bed, but other than that Tony seemed to be making progress.

"No problem," Loki answered. "Now answer me this; I thought you were over drinking. What made you so…drunk tonight?"

Tony shook his head and plopped down onto the incredibly soft and large mattress. "I think the question is…what I want to know…is why the great Loki Laufeyson decided to help me?" he asked and raised a finger to point accusingly.

"Well first off Stark, you just called me 'great.' Correct me if I'm wrong, but you just complimented me. And as to why I want to help you, that does not need to be said," the god answered.

Tony only shrugged and began clawing at his undershirt in hopes of getting it over his head. After several attempts, he decided he would not be able to get it off without help. He looked up at Loki with what he hoped were gentle and pleading eyes.

"Can you help me with this, too?" he asked hopefully.

Loki sighed. After a brief moment of hesitation, he extended his arms and grabbed the bottom of Tony's shirt to lift it over his head. Normally he would use magic to do this task, but he felt too worn out both mentally and physically to use any more magic at this point.

After the shirt was off, Loki stared at the foreign object implanted in Tony's chest. Sure, he had seen it before, but he never understood what it was used for.

"That's much better," Tony said out loud, not noticing Loki staring at his chest.

The god cleared his throat and managed to look away at the other side of the room. It was only now that Stark had began to pay attention to Loki's features for the first time that night. Even though he was completely drunk out of his mind, he noticed that the god looked…sad. More so than usual.

"What are you staring at, Stark?" Loki asked rather harshly without looking at the other man.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Okay, so maybe Tony shouldn't be so smart with the God of Mischief when he was alone with him and completely defenseless, but he was kind of getting a kick out of it.

Loki shrugged. "Yes, I suppose so," he said with a sigh. "I must ask you again; why did you decide to drink tonight?" He turned towards Tony again.

"Why did you help me?"

The god shook his head. "I've already told you that does not need an answer to it."

"Why are you so sad?"

This question caught Loki off guard. "What did you say?" His eyes snapped up to meet Tony's.

"Why do you look so depressed? You aren't like this usually, you know? The look on your face when you had to accept Thor's request to stop destroying everything doesn't even come close to the one you have now," Tony said, momentarily confused at the rather long sentence he just spoke.

Loki shrugged once again and looked down, away from Tony's eyes. "I want something I can't have."

Stark chuckled lightly and ended up laughing. "Don't we all?" The fog in his head was beginning to clear slightly, something he was thankful for. If he was going to be alone with Loki, he would want to be as sober as possible so he wouldn't say something to provoke him in any way. Even if the damn guy did say he would stop being so crazy all the time.

The god smiled sadly. "Yes, I suppose so. The thing is," he paused once he noticed he has Tony's attention. "The thing is, I would do almost anything to have this…thing."

Stark nodded slightly even though he had no idea at all where this conversation was going. Before he could control himself, he patted at the space next to him and motioned for Loki to sit next to him. He looked at the space on the mattress hesitantly before giving in and carefully sitting down. To his surprise, Tony put his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure that you will have this – whatever it is – if you keep wanting it. Just…act, my friend. You," he said while pointing a finger from the opposite hand at Loki, "are a good man, Loki Laufeyson."

Loki chuckled lightly. "You're very drunk, Tony," he said. Only two seconds after the words were out of his mouth did he realize that he called him Tony. Not Mr. Stark, not Stark, and not Anthony.

Thankfully, Tony didn't seem to notice. Or maybe he didn't care that Loki had called him Tony. Either way, it worked out best for Loki.

"But tell me, what is it that you want?" he asked with slurred words.

The god sighed and scowled at the man. "I'm sorry Tony, but trying to have a conversation with you while you're drunk is really quite annoying. Please, don't hate me for this," he said and flicked his hand.

Tony had to blink several times to be sure that he was not imagining this. There was no fog left in his head and he could produce complete thoughts. Damn Loki, must have killed his buzz, literally.

His suspicions were proved true when the god next spoke.

"Yes, Tony I'm very sorry. It was quite hard to keep a serious conversation with you though. If you were in my place…well I'm sure you'd understand."

Tony scoffed. "Yeah, sure. Now what were we talking about?" He mock looked around the room like he was deep in thought. "Oh! That's right, I was asking you what it was that you wanted!" He acted as if he had discovered something or won a prize. Obviously it was all for show.

Loki only shook his head and cast his eyes down before answering. "Well it's not really a thing, you see. It's a person…"

Tony's eyes grew wide as he tried to suppress a smile. "I'm sorry, but are you admitting that you love someone?"

The god made hushing noises at him and gave him a glare.

"I'll take that as a yes," Tony said with a chuckle.

"You are truly pushing your luck, Tony."

He looked at the god and shrugged. "Pepper's already pissed at me, so I'm sure things can't really get any worse than that."

Loki gave a soft laugh that seemed to echo in Tony's mind. "Why would she be angry with you?"

Once again, Tony shrugged. "I don't know, really. Maybe she's mad because this one girl I've slept with showed up the other night and gave her a hard time. I think her name was…Sally? Or Sandra. Anyway, this woman came and started yelling at Pepper and probably thought she was my wife or something."

The god had gone stiff at his side and developed a cold expression on his face. Tony silently wondered why Loki had this action, but decided it would be better to keep that thought to himself. The light feeling in the air that occurred when Loki had laughed and smiled had left by the time Tony was done talking, leaving the room with an unnaturally cold feeling.

"Would you ever marry Miss Potts?" Loki asked and looked to the man beside him.

"Me?" Tony replied, obviously confused. "No, I don't think I would. We were together, once, but she deserved better." He chuckled sadly to himself and looked down as his hand wrapped around each other. "They all deserve better."

"Have you ever wanted to settle down with someone?" the god asked.

Tony gave a short sigh before looking into the god's eyes. "No. Well, once actually. It didn't work out. Truthfully, I don't think I'll ever meet a match for myself. It'll just be me and JARVIS, ain't that right buddy?" he asked directing the question to the ceiling.

A disembodied voice answered the man. "Of course, Tony. But I don't think you really understand where this is going."

"Where what's going?" he accidentally asked out loud causing Loki to shake his head and chuckle. Tony met his eyes again and damn, were they beautiful.

Before he even noticed, Tony was staring into those eyes. Loki knew it as well, and decided that if he were ever going to, now would be the best time. After a moment's hesitation, he reached a hand towards Tony's face and rested it on the side, right below his right ear. Slowly and very, very carefully, as if he were approaching a skittish animal, he leaned closer and closer until his lips were only centimeters away from the other man's. He paused and waited to see if Tony would pull away, which he never did. After a moment, the man's eyes closed and Loki took this as an invitation and lightly pushed his lips up to his love's.

Loki had, of course, expected a horrified reaction from Stark. He had planned on the man pushing him away and screaming at him to get out. He thought he would call the other Avengers and tell them he was trying to kill him. But even though Loki was hardly ever wrong, he was completely incorrect with his predictions about Tony's reaction.

The other man pushed his lips against the god's, but carefully so. As if he were afraid that Loki would pull away as well. There was no rush in the kiss, it was gentle. Loki began leaning farther and farther onto Tony's chest and Tony found himself leaning backward onto the bed. He no longer sat, but lay on the mattress with the weight of the other on him.

The god put his knees on both sides of Tony's hips and began to kiss him with more force. He bit down softly on Tony's lower lip, causing a small moan to come from the back of his throat. Loki smiled into the kiss at the sound and began to pull away. Tony copied Loki's action, but reluctantly. He opened his eyes and found that the god was still smiling on top of him. The light, warm sensation was flooding back into the room to replace that awful cold feeling.

Tony smiled at up at him. "You're not a bad kisser, you know?" he asked and rubbed the other man's arms that were placed on both sides of his head. He knew damn well that with a sharp movement, Loki could move his arms and kill him instantly. But he trusted him.

"You're not so bad yourself," he replied. He began to crawl up into a sitting position to get off the opposite side of the bed but Tony's hand caught his wrist.

"Stay," he requested. "Please?"

He let out a fake sigh of exhaustion. "If you truly insist, Mr. Stark."

"Oh, so now we're back to calling me Mr. Stark? I see how it is, Laufeyson."

Loki smiled and proceeded to lie sideways next to the man. To his surprise, Tony scooted closer towards him until his arm made contact with the god's chest. Without thinking, Loki wrapped his arm around Tony's waist to hold him closer, making him let out a sigh. His head was propped up on the pillow perfectly so, Loki just had to plant one more kiss on his lips. It was only a small peck.

Beneath him, Tony began to fall unconscious. His breathing evened out and his face looked more relaxed. Loki noted that he looked innocent in his sleep. He reached his lips down to Tony's ear to say one more thing before he fell asleep completely. He silently hoped to himself that the words would be understood, and that the man would not bring it up in front of the others.

Those words were, "The person I want, it's you, you know? I…I love you, Anthony."

As he lifted his face up and looked down at Tony's expression, he could have sworn he saw a smile play on his lips. Maybe he heard him and maybe he didn't. Loki just had to tell the man he loved him.

* * *

**A/N: ****So I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this, but I have a bit of an idea. And it seems that I've been developing such an obsession with this pairing. It's a lot worse than any of my other favorite pairings by far. Superhusbands aren't very bad, but I would much rather prefer Frostiron. And then there's this video on youtube with the song 'Flesh' by Simon Curtis that an amazing person made that is just indescribable and THAT does not help. But it helps me fangirl and I'm not going to lie, I think I watch that video about ten times a die. Yep.**

**Anyway, enough with the rambling. If you want, review and tell me what you think. It would be very much appreciated. Who knows, I might throw in a cookie for you guys! (Or a quicker update...)**


	2. Options

Stark woke the next morning with both confusion and disappointed swimming through his mind. Wasn't Loki there when he fell asleep? If so, then why wasn't here in his bed and lying next to him? Did he leave during the night as quick as he came? And what was it he said right before Tony had fallen asleep? The man stared up at the ceiling as he let these questions swim freely through his head and produce more and more doubts as they did so.

He had said something, right? Tony remembered hearing something, Loki's voice clear like water speak in his ear. Yes, he could remember his voice. But what it was that the voice had said to him was a complete mystery.

Finally, Tony decided it would be a good choice to get off the bed and walk around. He threw the comforter off easily, then paused. He didn't remember putting on any blankets at all. It must have been Loki's doing, then. This was quite new for Tony, having Loki show that he cared for his comfort. His suspicions were proved true when he noticed a piece of thick paper folded in half lengthwise on the second pillow next to his. There was a note that read;

_Dearest Stark, I am so very sorry to leave you while you are still sleeping. If it were up to I, I would have stayed long after you awoke. _

_I would understand if you do not wish to see me again after what had happened last night. Just tell me so, and I will not disturb you again. I do wish that you are not bothered by…what happened. I would love to visit again. _

_You see, I'm not all they make me out to be. Destroying things is not the only thing I think about. You will find that I am quite…well not exactly kind. You can find your own words to describe me, if you only open up your mind to the idea of me being trustworthy._

After reading, Tony had to laugh to himself for a moment. Only for a moment though, and only at the last line of the note. Yes, he could see himself keeping an open mind, nut it was the way the gad had phrased the sentence. He was called the God of Mischief and the God of Lies, and here he was saying that he could be trustworthy!

But then Tony began to think over the rest of the note. What did he mean, '_after what had happened last night?'_ What had happened last night? All he really remembered was falling asleep with the god laying next to him and murmuring something into his ear.

"Sir?"

"Yes, JARVIS. What is it?" Tony answered.

"Miss Potts told me to tell you that your breakfast will be ready in five minutes and then she will need to leave for the day. Would you like to reply?"

"No, thank you JARIVIS. Just tell her that I'll be there in a moment…and to have a good day."

"Yes, sir," came the reply.

Tony reached for the nearest pen on the small table he had put beside his bed. He then flipped the stiff paper with Loki's note over and proceeded to write on the back of it. Unlike the god's beautiful and elegant handwriting, Tony's just about scribbled his letters down.

_I'll be in the front room._

He felt that it would be best to say more, but what else would there be to say? If Loki wanted to talk to him then he could go to the front room, easy as that. But if it could wait and he was more comfortable in Tony's bedroom then he could say there. It was easier than putting down '_Meet me there.' _After a moment of thought, though, he did add another sentence with his messy handwriting. He admitted to himself that he would be amazed if the god could even read what he had wrote.

_Make yourself at home._

Getting up off the bed was not such a difficult task, but walking around was not simple for Tony. Of course, he had worse hangovers before so it wasn't completely unmanageable. But it was still uncomfortable. His head felt as it Thor had banged his mjolnir against it while he was sleeping and there was a horrible taste in the back of his throat.

It must have taken Tony over five minutes of staggering and groaning to finally get to the kitchen because his breakfast was already on a plate and Pepper was nowhere in sight. Even after calling her name several times there was no answer so damn, he must be slow when he has hangovers.

He settled down in a chair before he began digging into his perfectly scrambled eggs all while hoping that Pepper wasn't angry enough to poison him. It would make sense as to why she needed to leave early; she wouldn't be the one to clean up a dead body. But he said that he was sorry about the woman coming over and demanding to know who she was and where he was, so would she still hold a grudge? Yes, maybe she would.

After his breakfast was consumed, Tony slowly walked (at least he wasn't staggering anymore, okay?) over to the couch in front of the television and turned the news on. It was the same old thing, just as it was every day. Something small happens in town, slightly serious but not serious enough to involve the Avengers. Small fires, drug busts, etc.

"JARVIS?" the man called for his AI.

"Yes, sir?" came the reply.

"Do I have anything planned for tonight? Any meetings that I, the amazing Mr. Stark, need to attend?" he asked playfully.

"No, you have nothing to do but check your enormous ego," came the witty and sarcastic response.

Stark laughed. "Sure thing, JARVIS."

* * *

Loki was just about to teleport to the Stark mansion when he began doubting his previous actions. What had made him confess to Stark his affections toward him? Even if the man had not properly heard him when he spoke, he still said it. And what had the god come to, feeling something so deep toward a mortal?

This was not something Loki intended to do. He didn't want to feel this toward anyone. He didn't want to…love or feel deeply, no. Besides, what is just about guaranteed when you love someone? Being stabbed in the back, that's what. Loki had already been stabbed in the back before. He'd been deceived and he didn't like the feeling.

So what was he supposed to do now? He could go to Stark's mansion and…what? What would he do there? Option two would be to carry on like nothing had even happened at all. If he chose to do so, then he wouldn't go back to the mansion and he'd most likely have to ignore his brother's requests of joining him and the other Avengers' little get togethers (even though nothing would be new there, he admitted to himself).

He paced back and forth in the small living room of the two room apartment he had inhabited over the past couple weeks or so. Of course, he had to disguise himself as he came and went to make sure nobody would freak out at the site of Loki Laufeyson, the super villain. (Well, ex-super villain.) He had disguised himself as if he were someone in their late teens with dark brown wavy hair and brown eyes. Loki had also made a small dragon tattoo appear on his wrist, just because he saw a man with one similar on his arm and found it interesting.

Whatever option it would be that he decided to choose, he would keep his promise to Thor and not cause any chaos. Loki was a man of many things, many wrongdoings of course, but he almost always kept his word with his brother.

Besides, he would need to keep a low profile and try his best to avoid Stark, right? If he were to run into him at any certain point, then wouldn't that be an awkward confrontation? Surely the man would ask him why he never came back or why he kissed him, or why he told him he loved him if he wasn't even planning on sticking around.

Loki shook his head. What was he to do? Stark was expecting him, he had written a note saying he would be back. But what would be better? If he were to carry this- whatever it was- between him and Stark, then it would only end up with a heartbroken Loki. And he had already been so before, enough to tell you that it is not a lovely feeling at all. And what had happened afterwards? He had grown cold and venomous.

This was still there, of course. It tied itself to his very soul and inhabited the darkest parts of his mind. He always felt cold…except for last night. Or whenever he was around Stark, for that matter. That was one of the perks of option one. He felt light around the man.

But to him, the cons weighed out the pros. Loki chose option two and sank into the rather uncomfortable couch and closed his eyes. Before he could think against it or stop it in any way, he felt a single teardrop escape. He rubbed his fingers against his temples and sincerely wished that things were much simpler. He wished that nothing would be able to stop him from loving Tony, even if it was only himself standing in the way.

* * *

Tony woke for the second time that day. This time everything around him seemed more clear and understandable. The hangover was beginning to pass yet he still felt a dull ache around his forehead. The almost horrifying noises coming from his stomach told him he needed to eat. But was that something he could manage doing without Pepper there? He hoped so.

He glanced over at the clock after rising from the couch and stretching and almost fell down. 6:28! Loki must have arrived hours ago if he didn't already leave. Maybe the god had gotten bored while he was sleeping and decided to leave. He hoped not.

"Loki?" he asked out from where he was. After he didn't receive an answer he cautiously walked down the hall towards his bedroom.

"Are you here?" Again there was no answer. He reached his bedroom and pushed the door open. His eyes scanned the room and found that it was empty.

"Loki?" he asked again, just for safe measures. His only response was the hum of the reactor implanted in his chest.

"Sir, are you looking for Mr. Laufeyson?" JARVIS asked out of nowhere.

"No shit, Sherlock," Tony answered. "Why the hell do you think I've been calling his name?"

"Well you could be sleepwalking, sir. I only wanted to make sure."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm pretty damn sure I'm wide awake right now, JARVIS. But thank you for your concern. Would you mind telling me if Loki is in the area though?"

"No sir, Mr. Laufeyson has not been detected."

This made Tony sigh. "Has he been here at all, JARVIS?"

"Say please," was the annoying (to Tony, at least) response.

He huffed another sigh out in defeat. "Alright JARVIS, fine. Will you _please _tell me if Loki has been in the area since I first woke up?"

There was a moment of silence before the AI responded.

"I'm sorry sir, but Mr. Laufeyson has not been in the area since this morning."

* * *

**A/N: Hey, so here's an update. The next chapter will have appearances of some of the Avengers. And probably some angst. Yeah, poor...well porr both of them really.**

**Sorry if it's a bit crazy right now. I was a bit confused myself as I was writing this, so forgive me if I have confused you as well. I would have updated this sooner but I had some very important business to take care of the other day *cough*Warped Tour *cough***

**AND I want to say thank you for all the lovely people that have read the first chapter and have stuck around long enough to read the second. And all of you that have favorited and reviewed...well you all get cookies. The only setback? Well...they're imaginary ones so...**


	3. Captured

It was about 12:30, six hours after Tony had woken up. He wasn't tired at all. And he'd damn right tell you that he wasn't thinking about that mesmerizing god that dressed in green, if that was what you were thinking. (Well, at least that's what he'd tell you.) In reality, Loki was the only thought in his usually selfish, self-centered mind. It was just about impossible to keep himself distracted from the thought of him.

Why was he thinking about him so much, anyway? He couldn't really…like Loki…like that, could he? Did he? Well the answer was pretty obvious, even if Stark was doing his best to deny himself the facts. Chances were that he had perhaps fallen in love with Loki. But did Loki return those feelings?

He was too far into his jumbled up thoughts that he didn't even notice when Steve Rogers walked into the room, shirtless. In fact, the Captain had already sat down right next to him and was impatiently waving a hand in front of Tony's face. After about a minute of continuously staring at nothing in particular, Tony realized what was happening and jumped slightly. Steve jumped as well, not anticipating such a jerky reaction from the man. Tony would deny it, but there was a hint of a blush creeping up his face due to embarrassment.

"Oh, uh, hey Cap," he said awkwardly and tried to fake a smile as best he could. It didn't quite reach his eyes and Steve took note of it.

"Hey. Please explain to me why you were…" His eyebrows furrowed and deep lines showed on his forehead as he attempted to come up with a word that fit while making hand movements towards the other. Tony understood what he meant.

He fake-smiled again. "It's nothing to worry about, Cap. What is it that you need, anyway? I don't usually see you around at this time," Tony said, desperate to change the subject.

The Captain shrugged. "I don't need anything. I was just a bit lonely and bored."

Oh _great._ That was _exactly _what Tony wanted, wasn't it? Yes, Tony did love Steve in his own little way and really did like spending time with him, but now was not the greatest of times. If it were any other time, Tony would have been ecstatic and probably would have taken the man to a café or something.

"Oh, you know Steve," he said while rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I was just going to go off to bed. You saw me, right? I'm not very…awake right now, you see?"

Tony Stark was such a liar. Steve Rogers _believed _it.

He smiled and gave Tony a quick pat on the shoulder. "Yeah, you probably should be off to bed, buddy. Maybe tomorrow we can go to that café you were telling me about," he suggested. "I like going into the city."

'Damn, that was almost creepy', Tony thought to himself.

"Off course, Steve. Anything you like," he said while smiling (fake again, of course).

He rose from the couch, stretched his arms in the air, and walked past Steve, who was keeping a watchful eye on him to make sure he didn't fall down or anything along those lines. For all Steve knew, Tony could be having another horrible and painful hangover and pass out on the floor just like the last one. He was always careful as to watch Tony and make sure he didn't drink too much and when he did, he would usually get a scolding and the other Avengers would agree to lock him out of his lab for a day or two. Even JARVIS wouldn't help him out and let him in his workshop! Oh, if Steve only knew how much Tony had drank the night before…

He reached the hallway and, for some unknown reason, a teardrop escaped from his eye. Then another slid down his cheek and past his lips. Tony kept walking and stepped through his door while more slid down his face. He made his way over to his bed and suppressed what would sound like strangled noises until he was lying down, curled in on himself.

Then he let everything go. The sobs, the hitched breaths and everything in between shook through Tony's body. His shoulder shook up and down as he reached his arms around to hold his knees to his chest. For the first time in years, Tony Stark, Iron Man, The Merchant of Death, was vulnerable.

He had always had reasons to let his emotions out like this, to cry and sob. But every time he had begun to have feelings like this, he would push them out of his mind. It was an easy task of course. All he needed to do was remind himself that he was Tony Stark and that he was worth billions and that he could go out to any bar – at any moment – and the women would practically through themselves at him. He could always run to his alcohol for help and he would always patch up whatever felt broken inside his cold heart.

But not this time.

It could have been several minutes, maybe even hours, before Tony was able to gain even a minute amount of control towards himself. And even then, he was still a mess.

'All over a freaking god,' he thought wistfully to himself.

Of course, the one time he actually wants to be around someone, they probably don't want anything to do with him. How ironic, looking back on his previous one night stands. Even if this wasn't a one night stand or a woman, or even a mortal for that matter. But really, why was he so upset over this? All that had really happened was that Loki had came around when Tony was drunk out of his mind and he was just…there? He did help him, yes, but how is that enough to set off so many emotions in Tony's mind? Perhaps it was just the whole Loki issue on top of everything else that Tony had buried deep, deep down? It was likely, but that were the case then the issue still must have been pretty troublesome if it had set him off like that.

Again, his thoughts landed on an image of Loki in his mind. Shoulder length black hair set in it's own perfect way and those beautiful green eyes that could capture a soul in under a second danced around in his mind.

The tears Tony had shed and the overwhelming emotions caused him to grow slumberous and he fell unconscious with thoughts of Loki swimming freely yet dangerously through his mind.

Loki had barely moved from the couch at all since he had finalized his decision. He was still resting, very uncomfortably so, on the couch with the stiff cushions and he had his head in his hands. No matter how hard he tried and willed the thought of the mortal from his mind, it simply would not leave him.

With sharp movements, he rose from his position and rounded toward the kitchen. He had stocked up on food, had he not? And maybe cooking and eating, or even drinking some of that strong alcohol he had bought the other day, would help keep Stark off his mind.

Of course, neither did the trick.

So what was there left to do? He was absolutely done with sulking so he pushed that thought way out of his mind. Cooking was and would be no help to the situation. The alcohol didn't even taste like Loki thought it should have, which disgusted him even further. He was pretty much positive that if he were to turn the television back on that he would be guaranteed to come across a channel that was featuring the 'great' Avengers.

Without realizing, Loki found himself creeping towards the window. He gazed down at a couple, both male, holding hands with their arms swinging back and forth. Obviously, they were happy enough to be in each other's presence. The lights that were strung up along the street made everything about the two seem even more romantic.

He let his eyes wandered off to the side of him and they lingered there for a moment as he began thinking about what would be different in his life if he were with Stark. Slowly, he looked back to where the couple was and…

…he must be seeing things.

When he looked at the two, he no longer saw those men but he and Tony instead. Tony must have said something to the other Loki to have made him turn his face like that to hide a smile. When he turned back to face his partner, he stopped where he was and spun the other around, making Tony face him. He smoothly wrapped his arms around the other's neck and said something that looked a lot like, 'I want to spend forever with you,' to Loki. The two then leaned into each other's space and touched lips, much like the real Loki and Tony had the other night.

The Loki standing in the apartment rubbed at his eyes, almost hoping that the two down there really were himself and Stark. But, of course, it was the original couple that stood there, oblivious to the world around them as they shared their space.

He shook his head and felt another tear slide down his cheek. Backing away from the window, he felt another salty drop reach his lips. Then another as he fell backwards onto the couch.

"Stupid…emotions…," he choked out through oncoming sobs.

As he lost control of his emotions right then and there, he couldn't help but wonder if he had really grown so domesticated over the years. It seemed as if every little thing that he had bottled up over the past couple years just began spilling from his eyes, running down his face like a waterfall. Every emotion, every feeling, and every single thought broke the mental dam in his mind so that everything could spill out.

Loki mentally resurfaced a few painfully slow minutes later with a rather loud knock coming from the front door. Hesitantly, he stood up from the sofa-thing and walked over to the door. Tears that had spilled out at the last moment were wiped away quickly as he stood on the other side of the door, about to answer it. He stole a brief glance into the small mirror to be sure that he was indeed disguised. Loki noticed the faint lines that were running down his dark red face, so he willed those away as well as the unnatural tomato color he had taken on.

He brought his long fingers to the door handle after unlocking the door and turned his wrist. The man in the doorway then looked up at Loki from under his black hoodie and smirked evilly. He gasped at the sight of him and involuntarily took two steps back before stumbling over his own feet. Looking up at the man who was now standing directly over him and dressed in all black, his face betrayed him and showed signs of horror.

"Well, looks like I've got you now, Laufeyson," said Doom.

Tony peeked his head up from under the blankets he had carelessly thrown over him earlier. About an hour after first falling asleep, the Avenger was woken up by a chill in the air and decided against asking JARVIS to turn on the heat. With his luck (and JARVIS's sarcastic wit), JARVIS would probably end up turning the temperature up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Soon after throwing the blanket on, he fell back to sleep. His mind had obviously been too tired.

But now Tony woke up again after two hours. He felt…odd and strangely paranoid. Perhaps someone was in the hallway, walking toward their room. Tony had always been able to sense when somebody was walking through the hallway. It was a bit of a gift sometimes, when he would have women over.

But this didn't feel like he was sensing somebody's presence. No, Tony felt like something had gone wrong. But with what?

He bolted out of his bed as quickly as his form would allow him to when he felt something suddenly appear beside his pillow. Tony was already in a battle stance when he turned back around to face his bed. Looking closer, he noticed that the item did not look threatening at all, so he could rule miniature bomb off of the automatic mental checklist that ran through his head. Instead of any weapon of some kind, it was a small piece of paper with that same elegant green script that the god had used on the previous note.

Tony gulped before leaning forward and grabbing the note between his right thumb and pointer finger. What he then read made his blood grow even colder than it was earlier, without the blankets.

_Please, help. Doom has me, _was all that it said.

The man blinked twice before rushing to his door to alert the others.

* * *

**A/N: Okay guys, I'm sorry that I had to use Doom because just about everyone else is using Doom, but he's the only super villain that I'm familiar with, okay? Sorry if there are any errors, as I just wrote all of this over the past two nights. Not during the day, oh no. Because I have to be distracted by amazing Frostiron fics and blah blah blah PART OF ME REGRETS NOTHING!**

**Anyway, there's your update. Expect another soon. (Oh, and you thought that they were missing each other a lot then, huh? Well, wait until you read the next couple chapters.) (I actually feel kind of pathetic for making the entire thing basically 'oh I miss them so much,' THAT'S why I needed to add a plot that I never even had in the first place...)**

**Oh, and I need to add that after I'm done with this fic that I'll start on writing a series of one-shots that basically take place after this story. I've already started writing one and I would tell you what it's about, but it would just simply give away too much. Haha, love you ;)**


	4. Doubt

**A/N: So please excuse any errors that you find in here. I was going to update last night but...**

**ANYWAY, I hope you enjoy. And I hope I don't spoil anything when I say that Tony isn't pleased with the other Avenger's reactions. *cough***

**Reviews are appreciated! Thank you to those that have favorited both me and the story and put us on your alerts list! All the reactions this story receives only makes me want to write more!**

* * *

Doom had locked Loki in an uncomfortable and awful, ill-smelling cell. His hands had been tied behind his back ever since he was abducted. In vain efforts of attempting to free himself, his wrists and hands were bloody and raw. Thankfully, Doom didn't go as far as to put something over Loki's mouth to keep it shut, so the trickster would yell creatively obscene things whenever he felt the need to.

On top of being bound in a cell that was decorated with crimson handprints -both large and small- from previous 'guests', Loki was also stripped of his magic. He only had a small amount left after Victor decided he was done with torturing him, but he had used what was left to send a note to Tony. Every few moments he would hear a rustling noise and look to the door with hope filled eyes that Stark would be there, only to find the door still closed and a rat scurrying about. He mentally wished on every good thing he knew that Tony had gotten the message.

Loki took a quick glance around and felt a pain shoot up and down his spine. There were four barred cells in all, two on each side of the room. The ground was concrete and even more disturbing to look at as there were blood stains and small pools of blood lingering here and there. The bars in front of his face and surrounding him were rusting.

Disgusted by his surroundings, he attempted to stand up yet again, only to fall weakly and with a small groan. There were no chairs or anything to sit on besides the floor. He was exhausted and unable to heal himself and he cursed Doom with every ounce of energy he had for doing this. What was it that he wanted him for anyway?

Then he remembered; about a week ago, Doom had located him when he was alone and asked for assistance. Apparently he was in a battle with the Avengers and was in great need of help, so he had gone in search of the god. Loki was tempted to give aid as he had not been in battle for quite a long time and needed to let out built up anger and energy, but then he remembered that he had made a promise to his brother and intended to keep it.

So was that what this was about? Doom wanted revenge for Loki not helping him? Only someone who didn't value their life would abduct the God of Mischief. But then again, he wasn't in his greatest state, both physically and mentally.

The door was thrust open from the outside and Loki looked up to find a woman-no, a girl. She must have been only thirteen, with chocolate-colored eyes and dirty brown hair that spilled down her shoulders in waves. Scars were visible across her face, a sort of purple against her pale complexion. First she studied him sitting in his corner in the first cell on the left, but after a moment she smiled at him. Loki could swear he saw a flicker of something cross her features, but he wasn't sure what. Or maybe he was only hallucinating.

"You're Loki, correct?" the girl asked curiously, as if it was absolutely fascinating that a god was right in front of her. There wasn't a hint of fear in her voice.

He nodded weakly and shut his eyes at the sudden dizziness the movement brought on. Loki pulled in his knees up to his chest like he had done so many times before and held them there, his arms still behind his back. He rested his chin on the side of one of his knees.

"As in the God of Mischief?" Her smile grew wider like a young child's does when they discover something new.

"Yes, among other things," Loki replied with a trace of pain in his voice. "What is it you are here for, young one?"

Her smile visibly faded to a straight line before she answered. "Doom sent me to check on you. He wanted to make sure that you were still alive. 'Said it would be a shame that he wouldn't get to watch," she said with a bit of anger leaking into her voice.

"Of course," Loki said. He chuckled darkly for a moment before wincing in pain and clutching his side.

"I'm really, truly sorry about all of this," the girl said. Her eyes showed worry and Loki noted that it was pure, that she was pure. He didn't need his magic to tell that much of the teen.

"Don't worry about it, darling," he said smoothly and with a small hint of a grin. The girl's face softened up a little bit but her eyes still showed worry. She slowly walked from the doorway and towards the edge of his cell. Her eyes darted around the room as if something suddenly frightened her. Taking a deep breath, she turned around to study the rest of the room before sitting down and looking at the god.

She took several breathes before speaking. Her eyes betrayed her emotions; a mixture of worry and pain and anger all showed at once.

"I was kept here before, too," she whispered, barely enough for even Loki to hear. A small tear escaped from her downcast eyes as the stared at her hands.

Loki looked at her carefully. "Why was that, darling?" He whispered as well.

The girl cleared her throat. "He took me and my mother and locked us in here. My dad-" the words caught in her throat. "He was supposed to come over here and try to get us from Doom. But there was this plan, he even told us about it. He said that when my dad would get here, that he'd kill him and let us go. He came, and I think he killed him, but my mom died here after awhile and he said he wanted to keep me." Her tears and become sobs as she finished for a moment.

Loki sat there, speechless for the first time in a very long time. He didn't know what to do, either. Normally (since he actually was very good with children), he'd hug her and tell her to stop crying. But he couldn't move and his throat was dry all of a sudden.

"I'm so, very, very sorry, dear," was all he could say.

She wiped away at her tears as the sobbing began to die down. After about two minutes she finally smiled even though it didn't quite reach her eyes. She shook her head.

"You shouldn't be, it's not your fault. But I understand."

Loki looked at her with a new sense of respect, and a bit of sorrow. He knew that Doom was evil, but he didn't think that he'd do this. And judging by the hurt in her voice when she spoke of her parents, Loki could tell that it was not her parents that caused the deep lines of scars on her face. Their eyes met when she looked back up from her hands and she smiled a little bit more.

"I'm terribly sorry, how rude of me! My name is Leah. Just…being near the God of Mischief must have made me forget my manners," the girl said.

He chuckled a bit. "Are you a fan?"

Leah smiled and nodded vigorously. "I've always been interested in mythology, and then Doom told me about the gods and that they were real. I always thought that he was only messing with me, teasing me, but then I remember that there are peculiar things in this world. But I never thought that I'd meet you," she explained.

"Well, now you can say that you have," he said with a sincere smile. He would have been a bit more sincerely _happy_ if it weren't for the current situation at hand. "And it is my pleasure to meet you, Leah, darling."

She giggled before it was cut short by a loud slamming noise that sounded from above them. Leah's eyes went from squinted to round with shock and her face fell. She stood to her feet in a rush and looked as pale as a ghost in the small light above her head.

"I'm sorry, but I must go," she said. "I wasn't supposed to be down here this long." Her face visibly went changed from shocked to panicked as she fled the room. The door slammed and then Loki was alone again.

He wondered to himself what would happen to Leah now. The thought of another scar on her pretty little face was almost unbearable, too maddening. Anger swept across his face and he began to think of ways to make Doom pay for this once he was released from captivity. Because he would be released, whether Doom wanted it or not.

A wicked and evil smile spread its way onto his face as he thought of the many, many methods of torture he could pick from.

* * *

Tony, Natasha, Steve and Clint were gathered in Tony's front room, anxiously awaiting Thor's arrival. They suspected that he would be the most upset and emotional over his brother's capture (it was his brother, after all) and believed that he would also do the most damage. Well, along with Bruce-who was also traveling a bit late.

Natasha was peering at Tony with knowing eyes that made him feel uncomfortable. Her stare wasn't threatening though, but it still made Tony feel awkward. But of course she would know; she even knows if he's slept with a man or a woman on certain nights, due to her impressive skills. Everyone else would be oblivious.

She tilted her head, an action that made Tony nearly go insane with worry. The others were engaged in a conversation that he really should have been paying attention to, but he couldn't concentrate with Natasha looking at him like that.

Finally he decided he couldn't take it anymore. He stood from where he was sitting and practically smacked Steve across the jaw in the process.

"What do you want from me?" he screamed at her with total force, causing the others to look at him in amazement.

She smirked, but not threateningly so. "I get it," was all she said.

Tony was about to say something back but his mouth closed before he even got a word out. He understood what she meant, even though it may have taken him a moment. He noticed that his fists were clenched at his sides and slowly began relaxing them. Her smirk relaxed into a simple knowing smile as he kept staring at her.

"Please," he began. "Don't tell anyone."

She shrugged but the smile was still plastered onto her face. "Why? What is it that you're afraid of?"

As Tony was about to respond, he suddenly felt as if all eyes in the room were staring at him like daggers. He took a glance at the others and noticed that they were all studying him intently. He was the center of attention and as much as he would usually enjoy that, well now was just not the time.

"What makes you think I'm afraid?" he asked her curiously.

"Tony, Tony, Tony…It's easy to tell that you are. Is it because it's another ma-"

"Woah, hey JARVIS what time is it?" he asked the ceiling in his efforts to change the subject before she could even finish the sentence.

It was almost a minute before the AI responded. "You have a watch, Sir. I do believe that is what that is for. Now, what was Ms. Romanov saying before you rudely interrupted her?"

Tony took in a deep breath. "I'm going to reprogram your personality, I swear…" he mumbled.

Natasha was still looking to him expectantly with a surprisingly calm expression. Everyone else in the room was also looking at him, but with much more intensity in their stares. He sighed, both mentally and physically exhausted, before turning his gaze back to the woman.

"I'm not sure what it is, Natasha. It's not that he's…you know. I'm fine with that. I just…I guess I'm afraid of what he feels," he finally said.

Nodding and showing that she understood, she too took a quick glance around the room at everyone. They were all switching their eyes back and forth between the two as the silence drifted on before she finally spoke.

"We'll talk about this some other time, okay?" she asked and reached her hand up to squeeze Tony's shoulder. "I'm sure you two will be fine." Then she walked over to sit next to Clint who wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Is everything alright, Tony?" Steve asked cautiously.

Tony hardly looked up at them as he spoke. "Yeah, everything's peachy, Cap."

"Does it have to do with the other night's drinking session?"

"If you must know, then-" he paused, slightly taken back. "How did you know I was drinking?"

The Captain smiled knowingly. "JARVIS told me, Tony. I'm not mad. Well, a little upset, but I'm not mad."

"Dammit, JARVIS!" Tony shouted angrily.

"I am deeply sorry, Mr. Stark," The artificial intelligence responded.

Tony sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "No. No you're not."

"Of course I'm not. As most humans say, 'I regret nothing!'"

This earned a hearty chuckle from Clint and a slightly confused face from Steve. Of course, Steve wasn't completely used to the internet yet so he wouldn't understand. Clint obviously found it amusing because Clint was…well Clint was Clint.

It was then that the door to the Stark Mansion was busted down by a rather angry looking God of Thunder. In fact, the term 'angry' didn't quite fit there. Perhaps 'murderous' would be a better term for the look he had.

"Thor!" Steve squealed before ducking his head in embarrassment. All eyes turned to Steve as he attempted to regain himself while a blush crept its way onto his features. Even Thor himself looked to the super soldier in surprise before shaking his head, his shoulder length hair flowing with it.

"Stark! Where is my brother?" Thor asked with a powerful voice.

"That's the problem, Thor. All we know is that Victor Von Doom has him," the billionaire replied.

"This Von Doom, have we engaged in battle with him before?" the god asked.

Clint stepped in. "Yes, about a week ago, Thor. We don't know where he would be."

There was a long silence as Thor tried to process this. In fact, the others had to process it all as well. Tony was convinced that he was probably worrying the most other than Thor, considering how crazy he was about the god and how calmly everyone was taking the situation compared to him. The moment stretched on and on as nobody spoke up, not even JARVIS.

"You guys," Clint started. "What if this is just a way to lure us out? What if Doom doesn't have Loki?"

All eyes shot to him as he spoke and Tony was surprised to see Thor nodding his head.

"Yes, perhaps you are correct, Clint. I know my brother and he is a clever one. Doom wouldn't even have the chance to take him as he would wind up dead in the outcome. Loki, he is a fierce one. I am sure that he is merely resting, especially at this hour."

"But how do we explain the note, then? Doom couldn't have just placed it there, I've checked the security cameras. One moment nothing was there and then the next, there was a piece of paper on the bed."

"Tony, you have to admit, Doom could have adapted some kind of device to transport things," Steve said. "Just like how you made that suit, he could have created something electronically as well."

Thor was nodding his head and smiling. "Yes, I believe that this was all a giant misunderstanding. If you will excuse me, I am going to meet Jane."

"So that's it, then? It doesn't make sense that Doom would do this!" Tony yelled furiously. The venom in his voice was obvious and even Thor backed up a bit.

"Tony, calm down," Steve whispered urgently. "Loki didn't do this, okay?"

Tony shook his head at him with wide eyes. Of course Loki did it. Why wasn't anyone else agreeing with him? He expected Thor to be completely urgent about the matter, already ready to take a swing at Doom to cause damage, if not kill him for taking his little brother.

"Well, I must be on my way. Lady Jane awaits me," said Thor as he stepped back away from the group. "Have a pleasant evening, everyone. And Tony, it appears that your door has broken. I suggest that you fix it up quickly."

He stared after him in fear as he went through the doorway. What made him even more furious was when everyone seemed to agree with the god. One by one, they all began to file out of the door as well, along with giving Tony small reassurances.

"He's probably thinking of ways to infiltrate SHIELD, you know?" Clint said before walking away with a silent Natasha hooked on his arm. "He's going to blow up the city, first chance he gets," he yelled over his shoulder at Tony and chuckled.

The only person in the room was Tony, who was still trying to process that everyone had just left. Why hadn't they believed him? It made no sense as to why Doom would do this exactly; send him a note like that. The only reason Tony could come up with was if Doom was only trying to lure them into battle. And if he really did have Loki, that must be his intentions as well.

"JARVIS?" Tony asked out after a brief moment of quiet thinking.

"Yes, Sir?"

"What do you think?"

There was a moment of hesitation on the AI's side of the conversation before he responded.

"I think that the others are wrong to doubt this situation so quickly."

Tony sighed. At least he wasn't the only one who that believed Loki was in danger, even if it was only an artificial intelligence that was agreeing with him. All Tony knew was that Loki was in possibly life-threatening trouble, and that he needed to do something quickly.

He shook his head and gave another sigh before moving in the direction of the room in which his suits were held. It was quite amazing, the change in emotion he felt toward the god. It wasn't too long ago that Loki had thrown him out of that window, but here he was, about to go save him from Doom and almost, _almost, _about to admit to himself that he had grown fond of the God of Mischief.

* * *

**A/N: DON'T HATE ME PLEASE**


	5. A Painful Memory

**A/N: OH HEY GUYS WHAT'S UP? So here's a second update for the day. Thankyouthankyouthankyou for all the lovely reviews! They make me happy.**

**So anyway, it's not much, I know, but you get a little look into Leah's past. It's quite sad, really.**

* * *

Leah returned to the room that had Loki's cell about an hour later with a small, green-ish looking plastic cup. A small smile was playing on her face, but the hand that held onto the cup was shaking slightly and Loki could hear a liquid being sloshed around. She made her way over to Loki's cell and extended the cup through the bars that were (thankfully) just big enough so the cup could fit through.

"It's only water," she reassured him when he looked at it skeptically.

"Has Doom touched it?" She shook her head at his question and he reached forward.

"If you would like, I can bring some food down here as well. Doom left a couple minutes ago, and I'm sure he won't be back until…well, he won't be back for a long time," Leah said.

"Thank you, child. What is it that you have?" Loki had to admit, he was pretty hungry. His stomach ached at the thought of food, and maybe eating would help his healing process with all the nutrients food could provide.

She thought for a moment while looking at Loki, hand on her chin. "We don't have much actually. We have bread that I baked this morning, but that is about it."

Loki nodded. "Thank you darling, that will suffice."

With a nod, Leah stood up and walked back to the door. Loki couldn't help but notice a small limp in her step and the way she clutched her right hand so protectively to her chest. There was also a gash in her jeans on the back of her right leg, along with a thin red line that it revealed. Each step the young girl took looked as if it brought her immense pain.

Loki looked down into the cup and swirled his drink around a bit, gazing at the movements it made, before bringing it to his lips and sipping lightly. He found that it tasted delicious, so his body must have needed it. He brought it back up to his lips and took another two sips before bringing it away and to his side.

A moment later, Leah appeared again. She carried two thick slices of bread that made Loki's mouth water just by looking at them. He sat up straighter at the smell and subconsciously licked his lips. He could feel that his eyes were wide but he didn't care, knowing that Leah wouldn't poke fun at him. Doom's torture had both exhausted him and starved him.

"Here you are," Leah said and extended a piece of bread towards the god before sitting down. He took it without thought and tore off a small piece, sniffing at it before placing it in his mouth. It practically melted on his tongue.

"Thank you, Leah," he said after swallowing his first bite and smiled at her.

She waved her hand as if it were no big deal. "Not a problem," she said and returned the smile before digging into her own piece.

"You said that you baked this? It is quite amazing. My brother could learn a thing or two from you," Loki said without thinking. Really, he had no control over his tongue sometimes when he was approached with delicious food.

"Your brother? As in Thor?" Leah asked, somewhat excited with her wide eyes.

"Yes, Thor. In fact, I don't really think he has ever been in a kitchen, now that I think of it. Well, besides to fetch some food, that is." He chuckled and she giggled softly.

"Well, the same would go for my father," she said, her voice like velvet. "I learned to cook some things from my mother. She was always talented in the kitchen. My father would work and bring home little treats every now and then, but it was my mother who bought most of the food and cooked. With me by her side, of course." She smiled happily as she thought through some memories. "The neighbors would come by as soon as they smelled the baked chicken. I honestly believe that if it wasn't for her cooking, then I wouldn't have known even half the people that I had met." Leah smiled even more when she noticed that Loki was listening.

"Your family, what were they like?" he asked curiously.

She took a deep breath before responding. "My mother was a very humorous person. Her smile was very bright, and she could light up an entire room when she walked in. She would never dwell on a problem for too long because she knew that all the little things would work out in the end. She had brown hair and eyes, just like everyone else in the family.

"My father was a very quite person, unlike her. He would let her talk and talk, occasionally adding something here and there and laughing at her jokes. He was loving and caring, yet even he had his moments. Sometimes he would come home, drunk, and just walk upstairs to his bedroom, paying no mind to the rest of us. His hangovers were funny though and we were all quite used to his behavior."

Loki expected her to stop there and was about to open his mouth to speak, but she surprised him and kept talking after a soft pause.

"My brother…well he was talkative, just like my mother. He would sing too, especially if I was having nightmares. Joshua would sing me to sleep every night if he would get the chance to. He didn't pay much attention in the kitchen, unlike me. Like you said about yours, I think the only time I saw him near the kitchen was when he was getting himself food. He laughed and made jokes and his friends would stay over a lot. They were all nice and funny and they'd joke around with me. Josh was only four years older than me. We all thought he was happy but then-" she stopped talking and clamped her mouth shut like she said something she shouldn't have. A tear trickled down her face, leaving a trail that shone in the light.

"What happened?" Loki asked cautiously with care and concern in his voice. He knew that his face was betraying worry, but for once he really didn't care. Leah looked down at her hands from his face and spoke softly, but loud enough for him to hear.

"My mother, father, and I had gone out to the museum and left Josh at home. He told us that he was going over to his friend Trevor's house to have dinner with him and watch movies. Josh was openly gay at this time, and a lot of people didn't like that. My parents were fine with it, and I was too, but we didn't know exactly how many people had tormented him because of it. Trevor, of course, was his boyfriend.

"So, anyway, we went to the museum and after an hour we decided to go home. Josh said that he'd call them as soon as he got to Trevor's house, but we never got a call that night. When we got to the house, something didn't seem right. There was just this bad aura that swept its way throughout the entire building. We called his name several times and got no answer.

"So while my parents decided it was probably nothing, they stayed downstairs and my mom started cooking while I, alone, went upstairs. It wasn't unusual for me to go into his room when he left for his friend's house. I felt comfortable there. But that night I stood in front of his door and suddenly felt nauseous, completely sick to my stomach. I finally opened the door a crack and peeked inside and…he hung himself."

All control she had over her emotions was lost by the time she ended. Her body started shaking with sobs and she couldn't breathe right. Leah held her head in her hands as she tried to gain control of herself, but failed.

"I screamed and then my parents came upstairs and saw him. My mother started crying and my dad grabbed his phone and called the police. That was the first time I had ever seen him cry in my entire life. My mother grabbed me and held me so that I couldn't see him anymore. I cried into her shirt and she wrapped her arms around me."

Loki stared at her with wide eyes, his bread and water completely forgotten about and lying next to him on the filthy ground.

"There was a note on his desk," she went on. "It was addressed to me. He said that he was sorry but he couldn't go on any longer and that we'd meet again someday. It said that he loved me and he would never stop. He told me to tell Trevor and our parents that he loved them, too and that he was going somewhere where he'd be happier."

A silence dragged on after she finished, only filled with the sound of Leah's breath catching.

"Hey, look at me," Loki finally said after a moment. "Nobody should have put him through that much pain to make him want to kill himself. I understand that it would be…painful, but I think that he should have told someone about tormentors."

Leah nodded with her head still buried in her hands. "I've never told anyone about what had happened that night."

He nodded, understanding. "Possibly you will see him again one day." The thought made her look up at Loki and smile ever so slightly.

"Thank you, Loki," she mouthed. Her left hand came up to clutch onto her right again and she swayed a little bit. Now that Loki looked closer, he even noticed another small, red line right above her left brow.

"Did he do that to you?" he asked and motioned from her eye to her hand.

"Yes," she nodded. "Because I was down here too long."

"If that's the punishment, then I say you shouldn't be down here for too long when he is here," Loki stated.

Leah shook her head. "I don't have anyone to talk to. He doesn't let me outside and he wouldn't trust me enough to call one of my old friends, if I was even able to remember his number. Please, it is worth the consequences to talk to you."

He opened his mouth as if he was going to argue, but then thought better of it and closed it. Loki only nodded and reached down to take another sip of his water. He found that it wasn't very cold anymore, but he wasn't about to request another. Her bread was already gone and she sat there, looking around at the room.

"I used to be in that cell you're in right now," she said. "He kept my mother in that one," she motioned to the one behind her and across from him. "I hated it here. It's so uncomfortable."

He nodded. "Yes, it is very uncomfortable."

* * *

It seemed to take forever to find Doom, but he finally caught sight of him. Tony had been searching for awhile now, flying through the air in his Iron Man suit and looking closely on every single street in the city. He was about to give up on hope until he saw a black cloak, the man in it staring up at him with a pointed finger.

Tony turned the comm on, hoping somebody would hear him.

"Guys, I'm going to need a little bit of help here." Normally he would do his best and not request backup, but he suspected that Doom would have him surrounded with his creations if he was to go about this alone.

Fury was the first to respond. "And just why the HELL are you playing in your suit, Stark?" the man growled out. "Especially at this time, might I add."

"Well, darling, my team wouldn't help me so I had to go on about this alone. Until now, of course. So sorry I had to leave early, I know how you're always worrying about me, dear," he said in a mock voice.

"Tony," it was Steve talking this time. "We see where you are. We're coming."

"Well that was fast," he muttered into the comm.

"Stark, next time you talk to me like we're bedroom buddies, I will personally snip your little friend off and throw it into a fire so I make sure that you will never have one. AM I CLEAR?" the director's voice yelled into his ear.

"No need to get feisty. "But yes, crystal,"he responded.

Tony was just about to fly down to intimidate Doom before he was surrounded with five Doombots, keeping him in place. He gulped with slight panic and fear.

"Guys, I need help. _Now._"

* * *

**A/N: HA I HOPE THEY BELIEVE HIM NOW! *tsk, tsk, tsk* **


	6. Quick Kisses And Mixed Feelings

**A/N: I apologize in advance for the errors in this chapter if you find them. Or just the horribly written chapter altogether. I kinda feel like I've been half-dead writing this, so that's pretty much my only excuse.**

**Uh, I want to to know how many of you found this through tumblr. Just out of curiosity. I put the name under the Frostiron tag and...well that's about it but I want to know. Oh and I saw the new Spiderman movie, so my mind is kinda Superfamily right now. But, I don't know if I'll write a fic about it. FROSTIRON IS MY OTP.**

**Uh, anyway. I promise there will be cuddly moments in the next chapter, okay? If not...then one of the chapters after that. I'm not sure. We'll see. *Evil Loki grin***

* * *

Tony wasn't sure what had happened, but there was a large explosion followed by several popping noises around him. Before he could register what had happened he was thrown onto the ground and trapped there, his heavy suit buried under what could only be chunks of metal. The only thing he could see was the screaming civilians that were trying to get out of the destruction around them and the flames surrounding him.

Then Steve was there, throwing the broken metal off of Tony with force along with a -very green and very big- Bruce. JARVIS's connection was still up in Tony's suit along with the usual information and graphs. He flipped his visor up so his face was showing.

"We're so sorry, Tony," Steve yelled over the thundering booms that Thor was most likely creating after they had managed to get the man to stand.

"Focus on what's happening right now, Cap. But don't doubt me again next time," Tony responded while darting his eyes between the Hulked out Bruce and Steve.

"Right," he said, looking around for a moment to observe the destruction. "You go find Loki, if you can find out where he is and if you're sure that Doom did take him. The rest of us will take care of the rest. You think you can do it on your own?" Steve asked.

"Yes, Steve. I'm Iron Man, for christ's sakes," he responded. "I can do this by myself."

Steve looked to Bruce and then back at Tony, a skeptical look on his face. "Okay, okay. Don't…don't die. Be careful," he said.

"Yes mother," he said before flipping the helmet back down to cover his face.

* * *

Loki was half asleep when he heard a very loud thud that echoed through the chamber. His eyes opened wide in shock to meet Leah's, who must have also been resting. The noise was beginning to die down when another made its way to their ears, causing the girl to cover hers and wince.

"Is he back?" Loki tried to mouth at her and pointed to the door. She understood what he was trying to say and rose to her feet quickly, rushing to the door.

She disappeared just as another thud and then a high pitched, piercing sound circled around him. The sound made him cover his own ears just like Leah had and cringed in pain. He shouted out her name twice but received no response.

Suddenly the room began to shake and the door burst open with another thud, but not as loud as the others. He was utterly surprised when he opened his eyes to look up at the doorway. Loki was expecting Leah to be there to inform him that Doom was back and obviously angry, but instead he was greeted with a suit decorated in red and gold.

He couldn't hold in his excitement as Tony made his way towards the cell, kicking away the debris from the door in his path. Loki was already standing up and ready to pounce from the filthy cage-like space when Tony raised him arm to blast away a hole in the bars with his repulsors. There was a flash of light and the leftover broken parts of the bars fell to the ground in a useless pile, letting Loki jump through the space. The movements brought much unwanted pain to the god and caused him to take sharp breaths. He felt like a rib must have broke and there were several gashes along his right leg, but he wasn't focused on those.

As soon as he was standing outside of the horrible, cramped cell he took one longing look at the Iron Man mask. Tony understood what he wanted and lifted the face cover once more. Loki then pounced, wrapping his arms around Tony's neck even if there was a layer of metal between him and the man. He reached down and crushed their lips together, moving in sync. Tony returned the kiss with much force and felt light-headed before breaking their lips apart. He would have enjoyed this, he even admitted to himself, if the situation was different.

"We have to move," he whispered as Loki put a quick peck on his cheek.

"I'll follow," the god responded.

"Okay," Tony said but didn't move. He was much too relaxed with Loki this close to him. Relief flowed through him even though they still needed to get out of the building.

"Tony," Loki began.

"Yes?"

"We need to go."

"Oh, yeah, right, sorry," he mumbled out before flipping down his visor and leading the way. Loki chuckled softly at Tony and took a deep breath once they made their way out of the stuffy room.

The sight around Loki was horrifying, to say the very least. It was evident that there were other people, 'guests' that were in the building either before or after Loki had arrived. Doom must have decided that cleaning bloody handprints off the smoke-stained walls wasn't mandatory enough to do so. There were pools of crimson as well, just like in the cells. A part of the wall to their right was busted down and debris littered the floor. He grabbed Tony's hand and closed his eyes, afraid of what else there would be to see later down the hall.

"Wait!" a young voice called out before Tony had reached the door. At the voice, Loki turned and opened his eyes to find Leah standing there with a small black box. He momentarily let go of Tony's hand and took three steps toward her, very aware of the stare he was getting from the other man.

"What is it, dear? You may come with us, if you wish," he said in a small voice. The booming and loud noises seemed to stop for awhile, thankfully.

She extended her arms with the box facing Loki. "Just take it. It makes him weak. I'm not sure what it's made of, but every time he goes near it he begins to burn. I wasn't even supposed to know," she explained as Loki cautiously took it from her, fearful that it would burn him as well.

Thankfully, it didn't harm him. The material felt like a type of wood, but appeared to be a kind of metal. There was a tiny knob on the top so it must be able to open. Without glancing up, he could feel Tony inching towards him to expect the object as well.

"How are we supposed to use it?" Loki asked confidently.

"There's a small hatch right there," she said and pointed to the knob. "Inside, there is a powdery substance. You can simply throw it on him, or light the box on fire and chuck the entire thing at him. I personally recommend the second choice."

Tony nodded and another boom sounded from outside. The building shook and the light from above fell onto the ground, causing small sparks to leap up.

"Thank you, darling," Loki whispered softly. He was almost afraid that she wouldn't be able to hear him, or understand him at least, but she nodded. A small and genuine smile tugged at her lips.

"You two better get going, Loki. Best of luck to the both of you," Leah said knowingly. Loki understood that she meant beyond the current situation, but he didn't dare ask her how she knew of this.

"Aren't you coming?" he asked worriedly.

"Don't worry about me, okay? I'll be out in a moment. Just go," she said while placing her hands on his chest and pushing him roughly. "And quickly!"

Loki didn't need to be told again as Tony grabbed his waist from behind and literally flew through the door as the roof collapsed. Tony stayed in flight as he put distance between them and the building, of which Loki was only then aware that it was a kind of townhouse before it came crashing down and became only a pile of worthless rubble. He stared wide-mouthed and in shock and knew that Leah couldn't have gotten out in time to escape.

He still clutched onto the box protectively to make sure that he didn't drop it as they reached higher altitudes.

"Hey, Stars and Stripes, where you guys at?" Tony called into his com. It took a few silence-filled moments before the Captain replied.

"We're leading him away from the building he was attacking," he replied. "Where are you?"

"Well, you don't need to do that anymore. The building's down to the ground and I got Loki here. We have something that might help you guys out."

"STARK! Have you received any injuries that would compromise your fighting abilities?" It was Fury's voice this time and Tony couldn't help but catch a tone of worry in his voice, mixed in with the obvious urgency and terror-inducing attitude, of course.

Tony thought it over for a moment. "Yeah, the arc's power is down to a dangerous level and the suit has a ton of damage done to it. I can still fight though. Don't worry, honey," he said, directing his words specifically at Fury. He glanced to the god in his arms for a split second and wondered for a moment why he looked so frightened.

"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT YOU TALKING TO ME LIKE THAT, STARK?" his voice rang through his ears. The man sounded like he was living up to his name.

"Tony, you should go back. Go take care of Loki and we'll take care of this," Steve's voice said. It was quite a pleasant change from a voice that sounded like it was going to rip you apart just from hearing it.

"But I can-"

"No buts, Stark," the director interrupted, somewhat calm again. Tony pictured him rubbing his temples in frustration with closed eyes.

He grunted. "Fine, but I have something I need to give to you guys. Where are y- oh there. I see you."

Tony squeezed the god tighter into his chest, and then regretted it only a second later. He knew it already must have been painful enough with all the bruises Tony had noticed. He just wanted to make sure that he didn't drop precious cargo. Then he swooped down, diving lower and lower until Steve looked up and acknowledged Tony's presence. Without being told, Loki extended his arms towards the super soldier and dropped the box into his hands.

"Find a way to light it on fire," Tony rushed the explanation and looked straight into Steve's eyes. "Throw it at him as quick as you can. I expect there to be an explosion so I want all of you out of the area as soon as possible."

Steve nodded quickly. "Go home, Tony. Make sure you guys are alright. We'll be there as soon as we can."

Even though Tony still wanted to stay and fight, as he knew that Loki would be a good advantage as well, he didn't wait around for somebody to tell him to leave again. He shot up into the sky as Steve ran ahead towards chaos, making sure that Loki was securely placed and tight in his chest. By the look he managed to catch out of the corner of his eye, he could tell that Loki was not very comfortable.

Because of Tony's urgency to get back, he reached the mansion in less than five minutes. He made a mental note to put that on the scoreboard, a new record of flight.

They reached the deck and Tony put Loki down on his feet, making sure to be very gentle. The god took a few steps to be sure that he was balanced correctly and would have fallen to the ground if it weren't for the arms that were helpfully extended. Loki twisted around in the hold and was surprised to see that the Iron Man suit was already taken off.

He quickly noticed that Tony was about to open his mouth to speak and reached his lips down once again to meet the other's. Cupping Loki's chin, he slid his tongue along the god's bottom lip and received a slight moan in response. Soon, too soon for Stark's liking, Loki broke away sharply. He backed away slowly with wide eyes.

The glass door opened for him automatically as Tony stared after him, speechless. He really didn't know what to do after Loki had broke away from the kiss like that. He knew what he _wanted_ to do; he wanted to run after him and demand more kisses from him to make his heart flutter and his head to spin. He fought against it though, making silent curses to himself as he waited a few more moments to head inside.

If they weren't going to let him help the team, and if Loki wasn't going to kiss him, then he was going to need a drink before taking a look at his arc reactor and the god's wounds. If he was going to let him anywhere near him, that is.


End file.
